


Angels & Demons

by VigorousSpring



Series: Kuroshitsuji: Angels & Demons [1]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Modern
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-24
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-08 20:57:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 8,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3223202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VigorousSpring/pseuds/VigorousSpring
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alliances are not so rare anymore, but what will it take for the strongest of enemies to align themselves, if not for their sake, then for the principle of not letting the angels win?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sleigh Bells

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Kuroshitsuji or any of the people in it. I do, however, own my two OCs Evangeline and Jessie. I don’t ordinarily add random OCs to fiction, but I felt I didn’t have enough demons to play around with. 
> 
> Overall summary: Alliances are not so rare anymore, but what will it take for the strongest of enemies to align themselves, if not for their sake, then for the principle of not letting the angels win? 
> 
> Chapter summary: William and Ronald wait for a car crash. 
> 
> Warnings: None for this chapter. 
> 
> Notes: This is for me to play around with for practice as I have A level coursework soon – I’m basing it on the Silmarillion just because. I wanted to try to write different styles for different characters, and I thought this has so much contrast in it so… you know… why not. If there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, please feel free to comment. I’m not going to go all ‘uh stop flaming me’ if you just want to point out simple mistakes, or in fact any constructive feedback. (I don't have spellcheck on here for some reason) As I said, this is A level practise. 
> 
> Something I’m doing in my own time. 
> 
> Also this is set in modern times, as I said I’m experimenting, but I’m not just completely ignoring everything that’s happened in the anime and manga. I have borrowed Alan and Eric from the musical. Also this will be the longest note thingy. I just wanted to put down everything first.

_Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring ding dingling too. Come on it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you._

The streets of London were a mass of white, the sky was pale and the roofs resembled mountain tops. Feet would fly on the unforgiving ice, various tracks marked the formerly pristine snow – a nightmare for anyone with OCD.

Like William T. Spears for example. He rubbed his hands together, barely creating enough friction to warm them. Beside him stood Ronald Knox, who was frantically trying to snap the metal disk inside his small pocket warmer.

William sighed, adjusted his glasses and held out a hand. He snapped the metal disk with ease and handed it back to Ronald, who watched in amazement as the gel crystallised before his eyes.

"How did you do that?" He asked, looking back with amazement. He slipped the handwarmer into his left glove and began working on another.

"Unbelievable."

Nine forty-two. Three more minutes and the young driver will skid on a patch of black ice and spin uncontrollably until finally crashing into the unsuspecting American couple on the first day of their honeymoon.

Finally, against all odds, Ronald snapped the disk. "See, now the other one’s cold. What’s the point of you? How do you get them back gel-ly?"

"Gel-ly?" William repeated. "You have to boil them."

"What? Boil them? That’s stupid! If you have access to a kettle, you have access to an actual hot water bottle… or coffee… or that other thing."

Tea, William rolled his eyes. He’s only in denial.

Nine forty-three.

"I am sure you can bare the cold for another two minutes."

Ronald folded his arms. "I can’t reap if I have frostbite. Why do so many people have to die in the winter?"

"If I recall, you had the same problem in summer. And spring for that matter…" He adjusted his glasses once more. "And autumn."

"People are so inconsiderate." Ronald muttered, looking up as a blue Citroen approached.

"That the one?"

"It is."

It is a common misconception amongst drivers that, in order to avoid getting stuck in snow, they must speed up. However, all that does is polish the ice consequently making it even more slippery than it was to begin with.

The driver did not leave himself nearly enough time for the combination of thinking distance and stopping distance before reaching the black ice. Surely enough, the car began to skid.

William readied his scythe. Following suit, Ronald did the same, not caring how odd it looked to carry about a lawnmower in the middle of winter.

 

"I am trying to do paperwork, I cannot do paperwork, my hands are frozen!" Grell complained, removing his gloves to prove his point. His fingers were red and slightly frozen. "I cannot hold a pen in these conditions. For our sake, Slingby, call someone!"

"No, I can fix it myself."

"You said that three days ago!" The even more red than usual reaper complained, feeling himself tense up more than he thought was physically possible. "Typical man."

"What was that?"

"Er, nothing."

Grell resorted to breathing on his trembling hands.

Alan Humphries was sitting alone, laughing to himself, watching the snowflakes fall through the frost gathering on the window.

"Hey, you okay?" Alan looked up when he heard the voice, not quite convinced it was genuine concern, though he was happy for any distraction, even if it was in the form of the overwhelming red-reaper.

"Fine. Frozen, but fine." He smiled.

With his arms tightly crossed, Grell took a seat beside the smaller reaper. "We had electrical devices hundreds of years before anyone else. Why can we not fix a simple heater?"

 

Somewhere between the car crash and the cinematic records, the gentle snowflakes morphed into relentless hail. Ronald's hair was dripping. He fought against the snow to drag his scythe behind him.

Breathing on his hands, William could see the vapour.

Looking behind them, ensuring they were alone, they opened a portal.


	2. Batteries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dispatch heater is finally fixed, and Ronald realises something isn't quite right with Alan...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A level Chemistry does teach you things. Not that we had a lesson on hand warmers, but it teaches you how to make your own analy... analyses... anali? Analyses. Now the word analysis looks funny. 
> 
> Also, Ronald DOES use senpai because I think it's adorable, but I have taken liberties with it and explained why... Might not be in this chapter, but I am going somewhere with senpai. 
> 
> Warning: Only minor, but you know Grell and his euphamisms...

"It's colder in here than it is out there!" Ronald complained, abandoning his scythe and venturing in search of the nearest kettle.

"Will! Will! Will! Will, darling." Grell called. "Look at my hands, my hands are red!"

"So they are." William commented, not really looking. He leaned his scythe up against the wall, allowing it to defrost.

"Oh, you're all wet, and not in the suggestive way if you know what I mean. What happened out there? Did you and Ronnie get into a spot of trouble?"

"No, just solid precipitation." He removed his soaking gloves, realising they were only making him colder.

Grell opened his mouth to comment, but a shriek of "ow my hands" changed his focus slightly. "Hand warmers? I wonder how they work, exactly."

"It's an exothermic crystallisation of supersaturated solutions. Flexing the disk releases heat which generates nucleation centers that initiate crystallisation." To finish, William breathed on his hands once more before rubbing them together.

Momentarily speechless, Grell could only stare as he stammered various sounds. "You lost me after 'so they are'."

 

On the other side of England, things weren't much better. A small gathering of houses in Hathersage, free from the standard yobs and general nosey children.

Hathersage, the most peaceful place in Derbyshire.

Various relatives and faraway travellers were on the roads with shovels and the odd cup of tea. The grandchildren of the couple living on the far end of the street were skating on the ice patches with their poorly gripped shoes.

"Colder than Moscow, apparently." One said, leaning on his shovel.

"And schools still won't close!" One of the younger residents complained. "We shouldn't have to learn in minus temperatures."

Jessie laughed to himself, warming his hands with a cup of steaming hot chocolate. With marshmallows. "Armageddon could happen and schools across the country would remain open."

"School is important though," Evangeline added, looking rather proud of herself, "I mean, you don't want to miss a thing."

Jessie shook his head. "Terrible. That was terrible, what you just did."

Through the laughter, no-one heard the wheezes coming from the second youngest resident, Casey. She swayed, her eyes almost finding their way to the back of her head. She collapsed into the snow.

"Casey!" Various voices shouted.

Evangeline shook her head and began pushing Jessie towards the house, who made no attempt to stop her.

 

"There was something odd about that soul."

"Odd? How?"

"I'm not sure... the memories didn't seem to... flow."

The two reapers shrugged and continued down the road in search of a less crowded place to open their portal, completely unaware that they were being followed.

Behind the wall was a completely different conversation.

"I wants it," Evangeline cried, watching the reapers with a small degree of lust and a large degree of hunger, "I needs it!"

"We can eat the reapers when we're done." Jessie whispered.

 

Two seconds. It took William T. Spears, Supervisor of the Dispatch Management Division, two seconds.

"The boiler needs batteries."

"What?" Ronald flexed his hands. "Batteries? Three days in subzero temperatures and all it needs is batteries? Since when did boilers take batteries? Batteries! Do we have batteries? Batteries are all the way out there!"

"Batteries," Eric placed a hand on his head, "why didn't I think of that?"

William sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Sutcliff-"

"No! Why should I have to go out there?"

"We've just BEEN out there." Ronald defended. "We're staying put."

William nodded once. "Thank you Knox."

Eric rolled his eyes. "I'll go. I was, after all, supposed to fix it."

One by one the reapers dispersed from the boiler room, one returning to his office, one venturing into the great outdoors, one dashing off to another's office and one... tilting his head as he saw Alan Humphries sitting alone, cleaning his glasses.

"Alan-Senpai, are you alright?"

"You're the third person today to ask me that, I'm fine. Do I not look it?"

Ronald shook his head, sitting on the table in front of his co-worker and close friend. "No, you look... I don't know... Not right."

Alan smiled. "You really do have a way with words. Do you make a habit of telling people they look awful? It would explain a lot."

"That's not what I said."

"It's what you meant. But really, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Ronald wondered for a moment if he was imagining it. For all he knew, the cold messed with his head. For all he knew, he froze to death out there and this was the post-afterlife.

"No, something's not right. I can tell."


	3. Every Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beans are spilled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this may seem like a slow start, but stuff that happens is going to be significant later on. I'm trying to do that thing film makers do when they have characters do something that seems insignificant at the start, like La electrocuting himself, but turns out to be helpful, like Larry realising he can electrocute the giant snake god thing - Night at the Museum.

 

"No, something's not right. I can tell."

"Surely you can respect my decision to not want to talk about it." Alan said in a quiet voice, realising seconds after what a stupid thing that was to say.

"Ah, so there _is_ something wrong."

Sitting forward, Alan placed his hands on Ronald's shoulders. "I promise you will know when you need to know... but this is not something I can talk about right now."

Ronald found Alan's hands with his own and removed them from his shoulders as he moved to sit beside him. "Have you told _anyone_?"

Alan shook his head subtly. "No, but I feel I may have to when it starts effecting my work."

"What can be so bad that...?" Ronald stopped himself, afraid to know the answer. "Look, if you don't want to talk, that's fine. But I'm always here if you change your mind."

Alan smiled a teary smile and nodded, turning his gaze from the young reaper beside him. "I know... I can't seem to get rid of you."

"Ha, you know me! I'm like..." Ronald paused. "I can't think of a flattering metaphor."

"You're like the after image of staring into ignited magnesium." Alan offered with a shrug. "No, that's bad. Has Eric gotten anywhere with the heater yet?"

"The boiler needs batteries." Ronald answered. "He's gone off to find some. I can't wait for actual, real, artificial heat."

"Far better than your hand warmers. You do know they only last 20 minutes?"

"Well I do now! It takes that long to click them. Unless you don't _want_ to click them. _Then_ it just happens. Out of nowhere."

Alan listened to the rantings of the reaper, truly listened, glad for the warm distraction - though warm may not have been an appropriate adjective.

"And the instructions tell you not to place directly onto skin, but you can't _feel_ them otherwise! I mean, what do they expect to happen? I'm not going to get third degree burns from them."

"Next time, you should try to oxidation ones. They last for 24 hours." Alan advised.

With a significantly sized stack of papers in his arms, William turned the corner. "Humphries. Do you have a moment?"

Alan looked up, let out a deep breath and replied, "Sure." He turned back to Ronald. "Talk later?"

Ronald smiled a sincere smile and nodded. "Of course. I'll be right here, not doing my paperwork."

William adjusted his glasses, feeling them beginning to slide, and muttered under his breath. "Honestly."

 

"Is there a problem?" Alan asked in an unintentionally trembling voice. He tried to think back, think of what he could have possibly done wrong, but he genuinely could think of nothing. He completed his work with time to spare, in great detail he might add.

Noticing his nerves, William shook his head. "It's alright." He ensured, offering Alan a seat. "I noticed from your recent work that you handwriting was... unsteady. Is that something we should be concerned about?"

Alan bit his lip. "Is it legible?"

"Yes, there's no problem with it. Though that wouldn't matter at the moment, at least you actually do your paperwork." Alan managed a small laugh. "Only, it's not like you. You're usually so neat, you make me paranoid about my own. I know it's been freezing the past few days, and I cannot complain about shivering, but it seems like there's something more... Something you're not telling us."

Alan sighed. This was his supervisor, he couldn't lie. He also felt himself develop a warm feeling when he realised his supervisor... was worried about him.

"I was hoping to keep it a secret... at least for a little while. As soon as I tell someone, it becomes real. A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with..." Air. He needed air. With oxygen. Oxygen was underrated. He broke eye contact, much like he did with Ronald eariler. Why was this so hard? "Thorns..."

"I'm sorry for keeping it to myself!" He continued. "I know I should have told you, I could be a liability, and I'm not expecting Dispatch to humour me, I just..."

After a long, uncomfortable pause... "If there's anything I can do..."


	4. Heat

Jessie knocked frantically on the door, refusing to stop knocking until it was answered. 

"Can I help you?" 

Jessie suddenly came across nervous, and understandably so. "Er, someone died. They think the memories of the dead person have been tampered with." 

"Tampered with?" He stepped aside, allowing the other two to enter. "Do you think...?" 

"Possibly," Evangeline nodded. But they hadn't been seen for hundreds of years, had they? Why now?

 

"Heat!" Grell cheered, leaning back on his chair with his arms in the air. 

"I'm glad you've loosened up a little." William said as he passed. "Perhaps you can continue with your paperwork?" 

Grell sat forward and scowled. "You're heartless. And insensitive. And... and cold!" 

"Actually..." William placed a stack of papers onto Grell's desk. "I'm not. And neither are you." 

Grell snatched a black pen with a red feather top from his holder. With a internal desire to smile triumphantly, William turned to leave. 

"Are you feeling alright?" Grell asked before he managed to reach the door. 

"I am feeling fine, why do you ask?" 

Grell shrugged and allowed his pen to fall onto the already scattered papers - honestly, when did that happen? "No reason, only you gave me the same person three times!" 

William closed the door and returned to Grell, standing behind his chair. If anyone asked, Grell tried to keep his excitement to himself. William leaned over Grell and pushed a few papers to the side - the red reaper was convinced he was doing this on purpose. 

"This is odd." 

"Huh? Oh, you mean the... yeah, it is. So... what does it mean?" 

William adjusted his glasses, having felt them slip slightly when leaning over the desk. "I'm not sure." 

 

The Grim Reaper Dispatch Offices were slowly regaining enough heat for the reapers to comfortably function. Not that they were particularly sensitive to the cold, but lower temperatures could still affect their muscles, just as it would any human. 

Room temperature was no longer in minus temperatures, in fact it was currently a comfortable 12 degrees, which was why Alan's constant shivering concerned the younger reaper Ronald. 

"Listen, I know you said you didn't want to talk about it, but will you at least let me make you a warm drink or something?" 

"Don't you have work to do?" He asked. Not in the tone William would use when pestering Sutcliff to 'stop slacking off', but a friendly tone which said 'please don't slack off on my behalf'. 

"It's nothing that can't wait. It doesn't take long to make a hot drink, you know." 

"I'm more than capable of making my own hot drink... but if you insist." He smiled. 

As Ronald sprinted to the only room in Dispatch with a kettle, Eric passed with an arm full of papers. "I'm glad those trainers are coming to good use." 

In the kitchens area, Ronald filled the kettle and reached for the cupboard above him, finding two white mugs, which he almost dropped when he heard a sharp voice. 

"Ronald Knox." 

"I was working, I swear!" He turned quickly, as though he was attempting to hide the kettle. He didn't know why. 

William shook his head. "It's fine. Have you had a chance to look through your paperwork yet?" 

Ronald contemplated his answer. He could lie, but William would catch him out. He just knew it. His shoulders dropped. "No." 

"Is it in your office?" 

Ronald nodded. 

"Mind if I have a look?" 

Ronald shook his head. "Of course not. Is there a problem?" 

"Possibly." 

 

Sitting around a wooden table warming hands with hot chocolate wasn't a sight that most would expect when hearing the word 'demon', yet on a cold winter evening in a small house in Hathersage, that was what was happening. 

"But why would they? Why now?" Evangeline asked before taking a sip. The cold of the marshmallows was inviting, so much so that the hot chocolate itself made her jump. 

"People are more impure?" Jessie guessed, doing much the same. "Maybe they've been plotting all these years." 

"I think it would be worth talking to some reapers." 

Both Jessie and Evangeline flinched from that suggestion. It was a viable suggestion. It wasn't impossible. Yet it was the last thing they expected coming from Sebastian Michaelis. 

"They clearly know something we do not." 

"True." Jessie nodded. "How, though? Their realm is hidden to us." 

"Perhaps so," Sebastian continued, "but apparently this weather is enough to kill one person every seven minutes for the remainded of the week. They will be rather busy." 

"Poor person." Evangeline commented.


	5. Late

A day had passed. Within that day, not much had happened. Various files were being duplicated for no known reason. Alan had spilled his secret to William. The heater had been fixed. Meanwhile, demons were slowly building up in a quiet, reserved place in Northern England. Not much had happened. 

Alan was well aware he was running late. It wasn't anything he could have helped, but it wasn't anything he could explain without revealing his secret. 

"You're late." The last voice any reaper would ever want to hear if they were in his position. "Should I be worried?" 

Alan shook his head. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again." 

'It's fine' any other reaper would have said. 'Don't worry about it'. 'As long as you're alright'. But the fact that William said nothing meant more to him than any of those. 

"We're about to hold an emergency meeting." 

"Oh, is something wrong? And I'm sorry for making you wait." 

"You didn't make me wait. It was my own decision." His voice was as sharp as always, but the meaning was there. "It's... odd. You'll see in a moment." 

 

"Usually I call you all here to tell you that souls are going missing. This time it seems it's the other way round. Souls are being duplicated. Not only that, but memories are being changed. I think we all know what that means." 

"Angels?" Ronald gasped. "We haven't heard from them for years." 

"That's true," Alan agreed, "why would they attack now?" 

"Why wouldn't they?" Grell called from opposite the room. He was sitting crossed legged on the desk, leaning backwards as he admired his own nails. "They're going to attack at some point. Why not now?" 

"The timing isn't the question. What's important is their plan. They are changing a person's memories, then allowing them to die. Surely that makes them themselves impure? Unless it's not that simple." 

"A sub group?" Alan suggested. 

"We've faced angels before," Eric spoke up, "what bothers me is the whole 'duplication' thing. Are these genuine souls, or is it something else?" 

"From within, you mean?" Grell asked, sitting forward. "Now that would be interesting. Perhaps the paperwork was simply to get our attention? We've never been targeted before." 

"If they have infiltrated us, and I must stress the importance of the 'if', we must take action." William projected his voice clearly. "I've gathered you because you are the most trustworthy reapers I know-"

"Really?" Grell gasped, placing a hand over his heart. 

William adjusted his glasses and sighed. "I trust you will not go behind my back and risk my 'falling out' with you. We must find out what's going on, and we must do it without anyone becoming suspicious." 

"Undercover work?" Grell's smile grew as he leapt down from the desk. "Sounds fun!" 

"Sounds interesting." Alan agreed. 

"Sounds hard." Ronald folded his arms. "Though I imagine if I back down, you've told me and so you'd have to kill me?" 

 

The demons watched behind a large tree as two reapers with their scythes over their shoulders continued down the thin path. 

"In a moment they will open a portal." Sebastian whispered. "That's when we attack. But do not injure them. Much. This needs to work to our advantage." 

 


	6. Dropping Eaves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I've been anticipating this bit for a while now. This HAS to be good. So wish me luck. Also I would just like to stress that my OC demons will not be there much. It's only because, as I've already stated, there are not that many demons I can play around with and, as I've also already stated, this is practice for coursework and Evangeline and Jessie are the characters I'm writing about so I'm finding their personalities through this. That is all. 

 

"We're sorry! They just jumped us from nowhere. We didn't know what was happening." 

Grell shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Just..." He raised a finger to his lips. "Don't tell anyone else about this. There are only three, it won't be too hard to find them." 

The two shaking reapers nodded frantically, eyes darting whenever they saw a simple movement. 

"Go and get yourselves sorted. I'll tell the scary reaper in charge." 

The two reapers shook their heads, one of them pointing a trembling hand towards something behind Grell. 

"E-Er, S-"

"Grell?" 

Grell turned around slowly, partly afraid and partly excited. Keep up appearances, he thought. Keep up appearances. There are two reapers looking up to you. 

"Reaper Sutcliff," said the voice he hadn't heard in years, "what a surprise seeing you here." 

Grell smiled and bit his lip. "Don't be so cold, Bassy. Why are you here? Surely you didn't come all this way to see me." 

Sebastian sighed. "Actually, as much as I hate to admit it... You could say that I did." 

"Oh, Bassy! I knew you cared." He placed one hand on Sebastian's shoulder. "Though tell me, where are the other two?" 

"Am I not enough?" Sebastian pretended not to notice the other two reaper slip away, possibly intending to find the 'scary reaper in charge'. 

"Seriously, what are you doing here?" He asked in his usual flirting tone. "You'll get caught." 

"Oh I count on it. Let's talk about angels." The demon spoke louder once he noticed said 'scary reaper in charge' standing behind them. 

 

"I'm serious. I want to talk about angels." Sebastian repeated after he was forced into a chair. William took a seat from across the table. 

"What about them? What do you know?" 

"Not much." Sebastian admitted. "That's why I'm asking you." 

Much to his displeasure, Grell was not aloud to join. He had been left behind in his office, entertained by Ronald Knox. 

"I mean, if something was wrong, he'd tell us right?" 

Grell shrugged, not really listening. He could only sit back and imagine his beloved and... his other beloved, together in a dark room. Oh what he was missing. 

"I'm sure he would." 

"You're not even listening! He was late, today. He's never late. I know something's wrong, but he won't tell me! I mean, what can be so bad? He's not dying, is he?" 

Grell sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm a little distracted right now. Who are we talking about?" 

"Alan! You can at least pretend to care." 

"I'm sorry." Grell pulled Ronald towards his desk and pushed him into a sitting position. "I'm sure he's fine. And he said he'll tell you, when he's ready. It's clearly a sensitive subject and we can't rush him." 

"No, of course not. I'm just worried. This isn't like him." 

"No, you're right. And I do share your concern, I really do. But there's nothing we can do about it now. So, what say me and you drop some eaves?" 

 

Alan was on his third cup of coffee. It was barely enough to keep him awake. He wasn't sure how long he had been staring at the wall, but his surroundings had changed. He realised he was now alone. 

And his tea had gone cold. 

He sighed and was about to stand, but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. 

"Don't get up." Maybe he wasn't as alone as he thought. "I'd just like to talk." 

"I have nothing to say." Alan said as calmly as he could. 

"Fair enough. I have loads." Evangeline said beside him, removing her hand from his shoulder. "How much do you know about what's going on with the angels?" 

"Not much." It wasn't a lie. 

Alan wanted to run. Or attack. Whichever came first. But he could feel the pressure in his heart, the trembling in his hands. He knew movement now would be foolish. 

Evangeline shrugged. "Fair enough. Neither do we. But there is something going on, isn't there?" 

Alan took a deep breath. He needed all the strength he could muster for this conversation. "Possibly. Why?" 

"Because. Angels! Our mortal enemies, bar reapers. No offence, of course. We had to ask. If there was something going on, it's not like you'd tell us." 

"Mortal enemies? That's a little old fashioned, isn't it?" 

Evangeline smiled. "Your tea is cold. How did that happen?" 

"The heat escaped?" Alan's eyes kept darting to the nearest door and wondered the likelihood of reaching it before the demon would. Was the risk worth it? 

"No need to be so nervous. We're trying to propose an alliance, sort of. I'm not going to ruin it by harming you." 

 

"We will not discuss this until we find the other two." Grell shuddered at William's cold, calculating voice. 

"I wish I could tell you. We split up in search of you. You'll find them soon enough. I have told you, we do not wish to harm you." 

"I wish I could believe you." 

"When have I ever tried to harm you? Be honest. We only want information on the current situation. We may even wish to offer you our help." 

"Really? Somehow, I find that hard to believe." 

"We despise the angels just as much as you. If we offer you help, you should accept it." 

Grell wrapped his arms around himself and slid down the wall, not caring how much noise he made. Oh how he wished he was there. 

"Making any progress?" A third voice asked, Ronald jumped as he realised the voice was coming from their end. He turned around slowly and came face to face with an unfamiliar being. "Don't panic, I won't hurt you." 

Grell stood up slowly with his hand outstretched, but he pulled back once he realised his scythe wasn't with him. "Who are you?" 

Jessie brushed his long fringe from his face. "Call me Jessie. I-"

The two reapers in front of him began to sway. 

 

"Hello? Can you hear me?" Evangeline waved her hand in front of Alan's face, but he was completely unresponsive. "Hey!" 

 

"Spears? I'm over here." Sebastian tried to gain the reaper's attention as he was staring off into space. His eyes rolled back and he fell, as did the other two in the room.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of a filler. The reapers begin to wake.

Evangeline gently laid Alan on his back on the floor with her coat cushioning him. "For the record, I didn't touch you." She left him in search of her two companions. 

She was greeted with a hall full of unconscious reapers. She checked the first two for breathing, before realising that was a total waste of time as reapers didn't necessarily need to breathe. 

"Please tell me this isn't a poisoned birthday cake." 

"It's not a poisoned birthday cake." 

Evangeline jumped at the unexpected voice. She span around swiftly, finding Sebastian standing over one of the reapers. "Don't do that! Did you get anywhere?" 

"Not really. They all collapsed. I left Jessie with them, to ensure they don't all... die." 

Evangeline nodded slowly a few times before responding. "Fair enough... What the hell do we do?" 

 

"Remind me to ask you about the rabbit." Jessie said as he pulled a stray rabbit hair from Ronald's jacket. "I'm not wasting money on a vet if I can ask a reaper." 

He moved over to Grell and adjusted his glasses so they were slightly tilted. "Oh how easy it would be to kill you all right now." 

In all honesty, the current situation irked Jessie. Every reaper in the realm had collapsed, at least as far as they were concerned, which meant someone had to have been there to cause it. Or something. 

Neurotoxin, he thought. 

There was a strange scent, stranger than that of a reaper, but he couldn't quite place it. 

"I'm Jessie, by the way." He introduced himself to the unconscious reapers. He wasn't entirely comfortable, being alone in the reaper's realm, but he wasn't about to admit it. Talking to the reapers seemed to calm him, if only a little. 

"Stay here in case they wake up. What if they do wake up and find a demon looming over them? Then what would they think. Thanks a lot, Sebastian. By the way, has no-one told you that contract ended? You don't have to stick with that name anymore." 

Bored out of his mind, and a little bit worried, he began playing with Grell's pink and white bow, entwining it in his fingers and pulling it as far as he dared without untangling it completely. 

"What are you doing with my ribbon?" 

Jessie jumped at the unexpected voice. "Sorry. Jessie. And you must be Grell. I've heard a lot about you." 

"Have you now? All bad, I hope." 

Grell sat up slowly, noticing a sleeping Ronald beside him. Completely ignoring the demon, he sat back on his legs and turned to the younger reaper, shaking him gently. 

"Ronnie." 

He didn't respond. He didn't stir. He didn't so much as twitch. 

 

William stood up slowly, adjusted his glasses and straightened his jacket. He retrieved his scythe before checking the other reapers in the room for signs of life. Satisfied, he stood again. 

He must have fallen funny because he felt a sharp twinge in his shoulder. He rubbed it a few times before reaching for the door. 

A hand shot out, slamming against the door. 

 

Grell looked back. "What was that?" 

They heard noises coming from the other room. Banging noises. Scraping noises. Screaming noises. 

William T. Spears emerged from the door, rubbed his shoulder, and slammed it shut behind him. 

"Don't go in there." 

Jessie waved uncomfortably. "Hi." 

"What happened?" Grell asked, looking up to William. 

Ronald's eyelids began to flutter and William's grip around his now slightly bloodied scythe tightened. He placed his hand on Grell's shoulder - for less than a single second, if anybody dares to ask - and pushed him back, away from Ronald.


	8. Senpai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback to Grell and Ronald's first meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another technique we attempted. Basically you try to tell a story using mainly dialogue. Was harder than I expected.  
> This is supposed to be in italics but it wont let me. Grr argh.

  _"He'll slow me down!" Grell complained for the seventeeth time that day._

William rolled his eyes. He and Grell were walking down the corridor, side by side, William with a stack of papers in his hands and Grell with a working chainsaw in his. 

"So you've said. He will keep you on track. You should be grateful. I selected him carefully for you." 

"Oh, how so?" 

"Personality wise, you should not have too many conflicts." 

"Well we'll see about that. You know I cannot abide children. They just aren't my thing." 

They turned a corner and entered the nearest room. There in the middle of the room was a young academy student with both blonde and brown hair, pristine white trainers and the biggest smile Grell had ever seen. 

"Mr. Knox, this is Grell Sutcliff. He will be your mentor. I shall leave you to better acquaint yourselves." 

And with that, William was gone. 

"So... Mr. Knox." 

"Ronald. Or Ronnie. Or whatever you'd like really, I don't mind." 

"Hm. You should know this is my first time being a mentor." 

"Well this is my first time being a mentee. We can learn from each other." 

"You're sweet. So... I suppose I should ask if you have any questions?" 

"Actually, I do have a few." 

"Good. Let's chat." 

The two had found a rather comfortable spot on top of someone's desk - Ronald didn't know who it belonged to and neither did he particularly want to ask. 

"We have to collect a soul? On our own?" 

"It's not as bad as it sounds. Really. You are paired up and you'll have plenty of practice beforehand." 

"But what if you get it wrong?" 

"You won't." 

"But what if I don't get on with the reaper I'm paired with. What if we don't agree?" 

"I had that problem, but we both passed. If you think you're right then don't hold back. Take charge." 

"Is that what you did?" 

"No, but that's besides the point." 

"Did you get on with your partner?" 

"Not at first, but I think we worked well together in the end." Grell smiled. 

"Who were you paired with?" 

"Oh I was lucky enough to land Will." 

"Sorry, who?" 

"The one with the glasses." 

Ronald paused. "Senpai, every single reaper wears glasses." 

"But... you know... he was just in. He just introduced us." 

"Oh. Oh! Right. Is there something specific about his glasses?" 

"You'll see. What did that mean?" 

"What did what mean?" 

"That word you just said." 

"Hm? Oh, senpai? It's Japanese." 

"Oh?" 

"Well... you say it to show respect. I don't think there's a specific translation in English. It's such a... rude language. Like bon apetite, we don't have one of those either. We just don't care." 

Grell smiled. This wasn't going to be as bad as he thought.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My two OCs will make one more appearance right at the end, but that's it for now. As I said, they weren't going to be around much. Very short chapter, but the next one will be a very long flashback. 
> 
> Grell's POV

His eyes were hollow. Emotionless. Unfocused. His facial expression was neutral. I can't remember a time Ronnie wasn't smiling. There was heavy pounding on the door William had locked. I didn't know what had happened in their, neither did I care to ask at that moment. 

The demon had made his quick escape. 

"Ronnie. Snap out of it." 

If not for the present situation, I'd have squealed in delight when William placed a hand on my shoulder. 

"Don't try to reason with him." His stern voice told me. "If a few minutes, he will summon his scythe and attack us." 

￼

We ran. Reapers were waking up, glaring at us with piercing eyes. My lungs were burning. How long had we been running? 

Reaching the library, the one place we knew would be empty at this time, we slammed the door behind us, locking it. Will fell against the wall, gasping for breath. He was pale. Shaking. 

And it scared me. 

"What's happening?" I asked. 

Will looked up. "We're right. The angels are targetting us." 

I knelt at Will's side within seconds. "What is it?"

"They've been possessed."

Possessed? My Ronnie? This can't be happening. 

"What do we do?" 

"There's nothing we can do."

He did not just say that. He did not just say that. William T. Spears was giving up? So easily? Not my Will-darling. I grabbed his shoulders harshly. "There has to be something!" 

"You don't understand."

"Then enlighten me." 

"This has happened before." 

I knew it! I bloody knew it. How else would he have known what was happening? 

"When?" 

"A few years ago. My first time as an instructor." Will was talking to me. Actually talking me. Confiding in me. Damn it, why now? "The group I took out." 

"The demon attack?" Except it wasn't a demon attack, was it? I realised that now. 

Will shook his head. "That's what I had to tell you."

"They didn't all drop out, did they?"

￼

 


	10. Meddling Emotions

There had been so much blood. Do not let your emotions interfere. That was what he always told his students. Do not let your emotions interfere. They have no place in reaping. 

'The final exam, it sounds...' The young reaper never had the chance to finish that sentence. He heard that voice in his head every day, over and over, from waking up in the morning to going to bed at night that voice plagued him. 

Difficult? It certainly was. Challenging? That would have been correct. 

They had frozen. At first, William had thought they were just being difficult, but he soon realised that was not the case. 

Do not let your emotions interfere. They had no place in reaping. 

First they froze. Then they attacked. Seven academy students against one reaper. His B average barely saved him. He barely caught a glimps of the white figure standing on the high wall as the first reaper attacked. 

He barely had any time to react. He had blocked one attack with his scythe and another with his hand. 

He didn't want to hurt them. 

 

"They managed to overpower me eventually." William explained. "I realised at that point what was happening. I could see the angel watching us." 

Grell felt something, he wasn't exactly sure what. He had spent years harmlessly flirting with William, obsessing over him like some teenage fangirl. William had never accepted it, of course, but neither did he completely push him away. 

He had never seen William so vulnerable. It scared him. 

 

There were four students between him and his scythe. Satisfied, the angel leapt down from the wall, the students freezing as he did so. 

"Well well. Didn't know we could do this, did you? Because I'm feeling generous, I'm going to give you a choice." 

 

"Either... Either he killed them, or I did." 

Grell froze. "An angel said this? I know they're insane, but... So what happened?" 

"It was... if he killed them he'd make them aware, if I did it then he wouldn't." 

Do not let your emotions interfere. They have no place in reaping. But rules were made to be broken. Even William T. Spears wasn't perfect. 

"But they were made aware anyway. In the last second." 

Grell didn't know what to say. He was speechless for the first time in his life. Every instinct was telling him to hug William, but he realised that wouldn't have helped. He wanted to, of course he wanted to, but he didn't want the reaper in front of him to think he was trying to make a move. Like he always did. 

"I'm sorry." 

"For what?" 

"I was supposed to be there with you. That was supposed to be a joint tutoring. Instead I got myself suspended for a week, leaving you on your own. If I'd have been there-" 

"If you'd have been there then, you wouldn't be here now. I couldn't have lived with myself if something happened to you, least of all if I was the one who caused it." 

"Do you really mean that?" 

William opened his mouth to speak, but there were three knocks on the door that distracted him. 

"I'm sure it will please you to know that the other two have returned to gather a small army." Sebastian's voice informed them through the door. "For all our sakes, I shall pretend I heard nothing." 


	11. Shi no Toge

 The Dispatch Offices were like a ghost town, if said ghost town was involved in a zombie apocolypse. A reaper army was not to be taken lightly, especially when under the control of angels. 

The Library was empty, save for three. 

"What are we supposed to do now? We're trapped!" Grell complained, pacing back and forth. 

"You could always keep still and conserve your energy." William replied, adjusting his glasses. "We are not trapped." 

"Well the door is locked and there are people on the other side of it who are trying to kill us! How is that not the definition of trapped?" 

William sighed and approached one of the many shelves. "If you'll allow me to explain..." He looked through a few names before selecting one and pulling it from the shelf. "We can use this to our advantage." 

 

Alan had locked himself in his office, applying as much pressure on the wound on his upper arm as he could. He had managed to tear part of his shirt sleeve and use it as a makeshift bandage. 

He was sitting against the door. 

 

"That's... Alan's record." 

William nodded. "It is." He reached into his inside pocket and retrieved a bookmark and a pen. 

Catching on, Grell folded his arms. "What makes you think he hadn't been taken over? Everyone else seems to have." 

"I doubt they would risk it." 

"Why?" 

Pause. "That's not important." 

Sebastian smiled. He'd been watching with interest from the corner. "I'd never have thought you'd be the one to keep things." 

"It's certainly none of your business." 

William opened the record and placed the bookmark carefully between the pages, but before he had the chance to begin writing, Grell was standing directly in front of him. 

"You know what's going on. Don't you?" 

"As will you when the time comes." He put pen to paper, but was not allowed to continue just yet. Before he had the chance to write, Grell tore the record from his hands. 

'Thorns of Death'. 

"What is that?" 

"It's not important right now." William said, trying to reclaim the record. Grell jumped back, holding the book in the air behind him. 

"Tell me!" 

William sighed. "It's... a reaper illness. They are contracted when a soul becomes vengeful." 

Grell felt the weight in his hands lift as the record was pulled from them by Sebastian - whom presence had been forgotten by both at this point. William had made a mental point to mention his disapproval, but not now. This was more important. 

"What happens?" Grell demanded, shooting William a look that almost read 'don't mess with me and my triple A practical skills'. "How did it happen? Is it curable?" 

"The soul manifests into the form of thorns..." William explained reluctantly as he took the record from the demon. "Eventually, it suffocates the heart." 

"Is it curable?" 

"This is not relevant." 

"Is it curable?" 

"Sutcliff-"

"Is it?" Grell took a sudden step forward and William felt the bookshelf pressing against his back. 

He shook his head. "Not that we know of." 


	12. Chapter 12

Alan gasps as his arm is cut with his own scythe. He manages to run past the possessed reapers and heads straight for his office. 

He locks himself in his office and rips part of his shirt sleeve. He wraps it tightly around the wound on his upper arm and applies pressure. 

Alan slides down the locked door, trembling with fright as reapers bang on the door. 

Suddenly, Grell Sutcliff appears beside Alan with his death scythe in his hand and explains the situation. 

Alan gasped as Grell appeared in front of him. 

"G-Grell...?" Alan stood up slowly from his protective spot on the floor. 

Grell took a few moments to speak. "Listen. We were trapped in the Library, we found your record and we're using it to escape." 

"You're escaping from one trapped room to another?" 

"Would you rather we have left you on your own?" 

Before Alan had the chance to reply, he froze. 

Seconds later, Sebastian Michaelis joins him. 

Alan jumped at the combined shock of yet another individual appearing in front of him and said individual being a demon. Grell's heard fluttered. Could shock provoke an attack? He'd have to be careful with him in the future. 

"Don't panic, he won't hurt us." Grell assured. 

Alan freezes once more. 

Lastly, William T. Spears appears in Alan's office with his -now clean - scythe. 

 

 

 Alan was somewhat shaking, but Grell pretended he didn't notice. If he knew anything about Alan, it was that he hated attention. The knocking began to slow down, but did not stop. 

Everything had happened so fast. 

"What do we do now?" Alan asked, having moved as far away from the door as he could. 

Sebastian was looking through the window, wondering just how many bones a reaper could break if he was to fall through it. It didn't seem too fatal, he decided. 

"I can see a few possible outcomes." Sebastian told them. "It would depend on your preferances." 

William adjusted his glasses, noticing they had fallen slightly in transit. "Would you care to enlighten us." 

"One, we open this door and hope we can fight our way out. Two, we wait for them to either leave or break through and... hope we can fight our way out. Three... we jump. Or four, we complain to Personnel about lack of fire safety in this office." 

"Oh, Bassy, I knew you'd save us, come over here so I can glomp you and etcetera..." Grell said with fake enthusiasm as he took Sebastian by the arm and all but dragged him to the opposite side of the office. "Were you not there earlier?" 

William gestured for Alan to join him by the window. "Do you think you could make that?" 

Alan nodded, a little too quickly. "Of course. We're not too high." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so bits are supposed to be in italics but it won't let me.


	13. Thermite

London. The only place in England according to most people. A gloriously idealised place full of cockneys and aristocrats complaining about the weather with their best mate Prince Charles. 

By the time the 21st Century arrived, it was no longer deemed appropriate to dress in long dark clothes and hide away in a dark, damp place when you're a mortician. 

The Undertaker had never been one for teamwork, which was one of the many reasons why Dispatch didn't work for him. Nobody really knew what he spent his time doing nowadays, though not many knew of him to begin with. A reaper in the human world could never spend too long in the same location without a few people noticing a specific lack of aging. 

Still, out of everyone who may have known him, William T. Spears always knew exactly where to find his former mentor. 

"Ah, what a surprise seeing you here. What can I do you for?" 

The Undertaker studied each visitor in turn. Grell Sutcliff seemed quieter than usual. He was standing directly next to the demon Sebastian and, though he was clearly excited, he wasn't acting upon it. 

"We need your help." William admitted. He was standing apart from the group, as per usual, yet the Undertaker noticed that he was particularly trying to not direct his gaze at the younger reaper. A reaper who he didn't recognise. 

"Oh? How so?" 

"It seems the reapers are in a little spot of bother with the angels." Sebastian Michaelis. The demon butler, or at least he was the last time the Undertaker saw him. Now? His eyes were permanently red, he was wearing leather, and the child was nowhere to be seen. 

 

The Undertaker had been found at a fair. He led them to a spot behind a ferris wheel, where only those who were willing to risk decapitation dare to go. He was sitting precariously on a wire fence with his legs crossed over and a bag of candyfloss in his hands. 

"Certainly sounds interesting. Why did they leave the three of you alone, I wonder?" 

"Do you think something's wrong with our records?" Grell asked in a uncharacteristically quiet voice. 

William shook his head. "I'm sure there's something more than that. If this is an attack against reapers, then what good would it do to possess all of us? They must want something." 

"But what? What are we supposed to do if we don't know what they want?" Grell cried, trying his best not to panic. 

"I can suggest only one thing. Go straight to the source. But four of you won't make much of a difference." 

"If there were more of us, hypothetically, what should we do?" Alan asked. 

"Well, you'd need to infiltrate the angels. Destroy whatever it is they are using. But as I said, three reapers and a demon against an army of angels won't do anything." 

"But the other demons-" Grell began. 

"Are infuriating!" Another voice replied from behind the wire fence. "Irritating. Clinically insane. We're sorry, we tried." There behind the fence stood the demons from before, Jessie and Evangeline. It was the former who spoke. 

"Great," Grell cried, "now what?" 

"Well there is another way, but it would depend how far you are willing to go." 

 

Go to a paint shop, the Undertaker had explained. They usually have powdered aluminium that they use to mix into paints. That was Sebastian's job. There was a paint shop on the next street that was closed during afternoons. His gloves ensured no fingerprints were left, not that his would be on record. 

While he was there, he found powdered iron oxide that was used for the same reason by the paint people. 

"Mix eight grams of iron oxide to three grams of aluminium." The Undertaker instructed. Out of the reapers - Sebastian wasn't 100% trusted by the reapers, which was understandable - they decided William had the steadiest hands. 

"Due to weight, it will appear approximately a 50-50 mix. When you get there, thermite needs a lot of heat to ignite. It would help if you could find a magnesium ribbon and place it in a pile of thermite. Then you'd light it with a torch... and run." 

"Who's going to do this?" Grell asked. "What if we don't make it out in time?" 

"As the fastest one here, I would offer, but I doubt you'll trust me alone with explosives." Sebastian offered. 

William shook his head. "Quite right." 

It had gone without saying that Alan Humphries would be going nowhere near the angels and their hideout. He didn't complain. He didn't want his illness getting in the way of their plan. 


	14. Chapter 14

Alan was sitting alone in a tent. They were discussing their plan, but he knew he couldn't be of much help. The only way he had contributed was by having an accessable cinematic record for the others to use to their advantage. That was all. 

"Chemistry was never really my forte." A voice said from the entrance. Jessie, the same voice as before. "As a Stuart, I was more into astonomy." 

"A Stuart?" Alan asked, smiling nervously. It was exactly every reaper's ambition to find themselves in an enclosed area with a demon. 

"Oh, yes, I died in the Fire. Evangeline demoned me." 

"Really? You haven't been at this for long then? I mean, in comparison." 

Jessie shook his head. "Nah. Sebastian and Evangeline were bessies with Pharaohs and I was a wannabe Cavalier. Five hundred years is a mere few blinks in the life of a demon." 

"A wannabe Cavalier?" Grell higher pitched voice cried from behind Jessie. "Did you have the hat?" 

"I had the hat. I still have a few, actually. Not the most ideal thing to wear when you're fighting, but still." 

"I've always just adored that style, but the outfits are very hard to get." 

"As I said, I have a few. When this is over, you can have one." 

Grell gasped. "Really? You mean it?" 

"Yeah! Authentic Stuart clothing." 

Alan smiled as Grell's beloved characteristics had returned. He couldn't tell if it was genuine, or not, but he didn't mind. 

"What are you doing here?" Alan asked. 

"Dangerous chemicals. If they want to blow themselves up, that's fine by me." Grell replied. 

"But what about the reaper with the glasses you like so much?" Jessie asked, making a mental note to remember names. "He must be really focused on said 'dangerous chemicals'." 

Grell was gone. 

"You do know all reapers have glasses...?" 

"Yeah, but be honest, you knew who I meant." 

 

The chemicals were mixed and sealed in an opaque container, safe from any accidental exposure to light. 

"Are you absolutely sure?" The Undertaker asked, placing an arm on William's hand. 

"I'm sure." 

"Unseasonal toffee apple for you," Evangeline said upon her return, handing a toffee apple to the Undertaker, "and a mustardy hotdog for you. There were a lot more people here when I left. They didn't eat each other, did they? Though I imagine the demons would eat the reapers and then you'd reap the demons. That's... how it would work." 

"No, and yes." The Undertaker replied. "They're in that tent over there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cue 'Bird - Yuya Matsushita' who incidentally plays Sebastian in the musical. How sweet is that?   
> Wow that feels good. So this was the intro, next up will involve the sneaking into the angel place, setting off the makeshift bomb and the events that follow.   
> Thanks for following me, guys. Not literally though, as that would be a little creepy and stalker-y.   
> That's also the end of my coursework practice, but I'll still be continuing. I am determined to finish it, but updates may take longer because... you know... A level.


End file.
